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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: race · drill · cue · fine · rush · pop · chest · fan

  1. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  8. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  24. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. cue — a hint
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. cue — for pool
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. race — the arms race
  8. fine — high quality
  9. pop — to visit
  10. drill — the tool
  11. chest — of your body
  12. drill — army training
  13. fine — all right
  14. drill — a practice
  15. pop — soda
  16. race — humankind
  17. rush — hurry
  18. fine — a penalty
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. chest — of your body
  21. pop — music
  22. chest — a box
  23. race — a contest
  24. cue — a signal

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com